Infrared ray, indirectly heating heat bath



Oct. 13, 1953' M ACHNER 2,655,155

INFRARED RAY, INDIRECTLY HEATING HEAT BATH Filed June 2o, 1951 A( ...lll/l X WEA/rok:

MART/N ACH/VER Arrows/5 Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED OFFICE INFRARED RAY, INDIRECTLY HEATING HEAT BATH MartinAAchner, Munich, Germany Application June 20, 1951, serial No. 232,649 In Germany June 22,1950

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved construction for a heat bath, more particularly to a heat bath which may be collapsed for storage and transportation and by which a person is indirectly heated by infra-red rays.

Conventional collapsible heat baths comprise thin wooden Walls or walls made up of impregnated fabric or insulating material supported by frames, and are heated either inside by electric stoves or by hot gases produced outside of the bath. `In such heat baths, not more than 40 per cent of the produced heat is transferred to the body of the person in the "bath, the balance of the heatv being lost by convection and radiation.

It is an object of the invention to provide a heat bath construction which is economical because it does not waste any appreciable amount of heat.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a heat bath which can be collapsed, more particularly rolled into a roll of small diameterV for transportation and storage.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a heat bath which does not have metallic parts and surfaces which become so hot as to cause burns upon contact. The heat bath according to the invention is lined inside with a heat-refleeting metal foil which is so thin that it cannot accumulate enough heat to cause burns upon contact. The foil may be made of aluminum, silver, copper, or other suitable metal which is highly polished or otherwise made heatand light-reflecting on the surface which faces the interior of the heat bath. The high heat-reflecting effect and extremely small mass of the thin foil not only prevents accumulation of enough heat to cause burns but also prevents absorption of heat by the wall construction supporting the foil, so that no heat is transferred to the outside of the bath and lost.

A further advantageous effect of the mirrorlike metallic surface is that the infra-red rays from a heater arranged inside the bath are reflected to the body of the person taking the bath, penetrating deeply into the body. Ultra-red rays pass through air without appreciably heating it, i. e. without heat loss. The heat flows freely into the body and heat congestion causing discomfort is avoided.

Further and other objects of the present invention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims, and shown in the drawing which, by way of illustration, shows what I now consider to be preferred embodiments of my invention.

(Cl. 12S-374) In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional View of a wall portion'of the heat bath according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a wall portion of a modified construction;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a heat bath according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of the heat bath according to Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bath shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in rolled up condition.

Like parts are designated by like numerals in all gures of the drawing.

The interior surface of the wall forming the heat bath is covered by a thin metal foil l, for example of aluminum, silver, copper, nickel, tin, or similar material, whose outside surface is highly polished and whose thickness is one hundredth to three hundredths of a millimeter.

In the modication shown in Fig. 1, the foil is applied to a cardboard 2 forming the inside of an insulating wall, by pressing, pasting, or other method assuring intimate contact of the cardboard and foil. The cardboard 2 is mounted with an adhesive 3 on a rubberized fabric or rubber layer 4, the latter being reinforced by battens 5 of U-shaped cross-section which enclose aircells 6. The so constructed Wall is thin and capable of being rolled into a roll of small diameter, as shown in Fig. 5, to facilitate storage and trans'- portation.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the foil l is applied to a cardboard 2 which is mounted with an adhesive 3 on leatherboard 1 which is backed by a sheet 9 of synthetic material with which it is connected by an adhesive layer 8. This construction is sufciently heat-insulating to permit omission of air cells and is sufficiently flexible to be rolled into a small diameter roll.

The shape of the bath, when in use, may be cylindrical as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This shape is preferred because its interior volume and space requirement is 30 per cent less than if the wall is formed to have a quadratic or rectangular cross-section, although the latter shape, with well-rounded corners, is easily possible with the wall construction according to the invention.

Fig. 4 shows how an electric heater I-I can be placed within the bath and how the heat waves are reflected and absorbed by the treated person.

While I believe the above described embodiments of my invention to be preferred embodiments, I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of de sign and construction shown and described, for Y y. .ing an inner surface covered with a highly polble material and a layer of juxtapositionedaunconnected battens having a U-shaped crosssectional conguration and beingfsoconnected with said lamina that the opening oflthe .U is i closed by said lamina.

3. A collapsible heat bath according to claim l, said Wall having a plurality of cavities forming air cells.

4. A collapsible heat bath ac cqrdirilgiogglaim 1, Y:saidaifall comprising a laminal made of lcardboard, and a; iaminacontaning. rubber and being glued otherlamina;-medefofardbaara.said metal foil being attached to the latter. f 5..1A,ollapsiblebeatebathaccordmg to claim 1, said wall comprising a lamina :made of cardboard, kaairlina containing `rubber land being glued to the lamina made of cardboard, and :al plurality of ijgiggtaigositicned Vbattens connected Iwith said lamina containingrubber, saidmetal foil being la'disacliei;to lthe laminamade of cardboard.

6. A collapsible heat bath according toclaim l, jl,said mallfcomprising.. a first lamina made of cardboard, a second lamina made of leather material glued to said rst lamina, and a third lamina made of synthetic material glued to said second lamina, said metal foil being attached to saidfirst lamina.

7. An infra-red ray indirectly heating heat bath comprising@ sea-t, an electric heater disv`posed underneath saidseat, and :a-wall spaced from and disposed all around said seat, said Wall being made of heat-insulating material and haviShed metal "foil capable of reflecting infra-red rays from said heater to the person sitting on said .seat-.saidffmetal foil being so thin that it is un- ,able to -L,lllnlulate enough heat to cause burns `upon contact and said heater forming the only source of heat for the heat bath.

,Acollapsible heat bath according to claim 1,

said wall being constructed for great resistivity tofl-1eateonductioxan` References 'Cited '-in ythe -i-llevof this patent UNITEDQSI'ATES PATENTS 

